Name	Styles P
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	David Styles
Alias	Styles P The Ghost SP Styles Pinero
Origin	Yonkers, New York, USA
Genre	Hip hop, Mafioso rap, Gangsta rap, Hardcore rap
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	1995 – present
Label	D-Block Records/Ruff Ryders/Koch Records
Url

David Styles better known by his stage name, Styles P, is an American rapper. He is a member of Hip Hop group The LOX and is also a part of the Ruff Ryders hip-hop group, and in addition has released multiple albums and mixtapes as a rapper.

Career

Styles P, a member of The LOX, grew up on the streets of Yonkers, NY rapping alongside Jadakiss (Jayson Phillips) and Sheek Louch (Shawn Jacobs). In their late teens the trio met Mary J. Blige who was so impressed with their tough street east coast lyrics, she gave them a big break by putting their demo in the hands of Sean “Diddy” Combs. Diddy immediately hired the trio to write for Bad Boy Records. With the label, The LOX quickly started collaborating on hits with Diddy, the Notorious B.I.G., Mary J. Blige, and Mariah Carey which gave them instant notoriety and status within the hip-hop and mainstream charts.

In 1996 and 1997, the group wrote and performed on a number of Diddy hits, including “It's All About the Benjamins” and “I Got the Power,” Mase’s “24 Hrs. to Live,” Mariah Carey’s “Honey,” the Notorious B.I.G.’s “Last Day,” and Mary J. Blige’s “Can’t Get You Off My Mind.” In 1997 The LOX received international acclaim when their tribute to the late Biggie Smalls, “We’ll Always Love Big Poppa,” was picked as the B side track off of Diddy’s No Way Out album (3x Platinum) with the number one hit, “I'll Be Missing You.” This single was the most played hit in 1997, which opened the door for The LOX first solo album debut in January 1998 entitled Money, Power & Respect (Certified Platinum). Though the album was a chart toping success, The LOX felt the glossy sheen of Bad Boy Records conflicted with their grimier rap aesthetic and therefore cut their ties and moved on to Ruff Ryder Records. After another LOX album, We Are the Streets (2000), Jadakiss was the first to release a solo in 2001 with Kiss tha Game Goodbye and Styles followed with his own in 2002 with A Gangster and a Gentleman.

Discography

Mixtapes

2010: The Ghost Dub-Dime

Collaboration Albums

2010: The Green Ghost Project (with DJ Green Lantern)

References

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Styles_P_discography

External links

Official Site

Styles P Interview at Prefix

The DJ Booth: Styles P Interview

Styles P Interview

New Styles P interview with HipHopGame.com

Category:African American musicians Category:African American rappers Category:American rappers Category:D-Block Records members Category:Ruff Ryders artists Category:Living people Category:Musicians from New York

Name	Sheek Louch
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Sean Divine Jacobs
Alias
Born	November 09, 1976 Brooklyn, New York, U.S.
Genre	Hip hop
Occupation	Rapper
Years active	1995 - present
Label	D-Block Records, Ruff Ryders, Real Talk Ent., Def Jam Recordings
Associated acts	The LOX, Styles P, Jadakiss, Bun B

Sean Divine Jacobs, better known as Sheek Louch (also known as Donnie Def Jam and "Donnie G"), is an African American rapper and member of The LOX.

Personal Life and Career

Very few rappers embody the true essence of hardcore hip-hop the way Sheek Louch does so effortlessly. “I’m in the best shape of my life,” he says confidently. “Stronger, faster, like, ‘Bionic Man’!” Having earned his stripes as 1/3 of The LOX, as well as a proven solo artist, the Yonkers-native is respected as one of the best to ever do it when it comes to consistently making quality, street-approved music. Whether spitting alongside the Notorious B.I.G. on classics like “It's All About the Benjamins,” ripping infinite mixtape instrumentals with Jadakiss and Styles P, or breaking into radio with hit records like “Good Love,” Sheek always sounds as confident as a veteran, and as hungry as the underdog.

Growing up an only child in Yonkers, NY, a young Sheek learned to grind watching his mother work hard to earn a masters degree, while still making time to help him with his math homework. He was inspired to rhyme around the age of 12, by his man Jada. “Me and Kiss used to always stay at our grandmothers’ houses in Yonkers, and Kiss was always rappin, and I just tried it and we became like a group. Then Styles came… and that’s how it started.” Thanks to a powerful plug from up-n-coming queen of R&B; soul Mary J. Blige, the trio would soon find themselves a part of a then burgeoning Bad Boy Records. The group became instant hood favorites with the release of the album Money, Power, Respect.

After that, they parted ways [less than amicably] with Puff, and joined fellow Y-O family member DMX with the Ruff Ryders camp. Causing a frenzy with their next album, We Are the Streets, the group solidified their hardcore image and both Jada and Styles broke out as critically-respected soloists. Meanwhile, Sheek, an aspiring entrepreneur, began working on their D-Block brand, building a studio, and looking for fresh, hungry young talent. “I’ve always been had artist slash entrepeneur role,” he explains proudly. “I built a studio. I done opened a D-Block car wash, a D-Block Fitteds…all in Yonkers.”

All that hard work eventually paid off, and Sheek finally released his own solo debut Walk witt Me independently through their newly founded D-Block Records. Showing off a good head for business, and an even better ear for beats, Sheek surprised fans and critics alike with his solid effort. The dedicated lyricist would continue to go hard on mixtapes, on the internet, and even the radio, slowly and steadily building his up his brand.

Discography

Albums

Singles

{|class="wikitable" ! rowspan="2"|Year ! rowspan="2"|Song ! colspan="3"|Chart positions !rowspan="2"|Album |- !width="40"|U.S. !width="40"|U.S. R&B; !width="40"|U.S. Rap |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2003 | "Mighty D-Block (2 Guns Up)" (featuring D-Block & J-Hood) |align="center"|— |align="center"|65 |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|Walk witt Me |- | "OK" |align="center"|— |align="center"|92 |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2005 | "Kiss Your Ass Goodbye" (featuring Styles P) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=2|After Taxes |- | "One Name" (featuring Carl Thomas) |align="center"|— |align="center"|71 |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=2|2008 | "Good Love" |align="center"|— |align="center"|66 |align="center"|21 |rowspan=2|Silverback Gorilla |- | "Keep Pushin'" (featuring Mike Smith) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2009 | "Time 2 Get Paid" |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|Life on D-Block |- |align="center" rowspan=1|2010 | "Party After 2" (featuring Jeremih) |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |align="center"|— |rowspan=1|Donnie G: Don Gorilla |- |}

References

Category:Living people Category:African American rappers Category:American rappers Category:D-Block Records members Category:People from Yonkers, New York Category:Ruff Ryders artists Category:E1 Music artists Category:Rappers from New York City Category:1976 births

Name	Swizz Beatz|Img = Swizz beatz at hot 97 summer jam 2007.jpg
Background	solo_singer
Birth name	Kasseem Dean
Born	August 30, 1978 The Bronx, New York, United States
Instrument	Keyboard, sampler
Occupation	Record producer, rapper, record executive, painter, artist
Years active	1998–present
Genre	Hip hop
Label	Full Surface, Ruff Ryders, Atlantic
Associated acts	DMX, Alicia Keys, Eve, Jay-Z, Beyonce, Drag-On, Cassidy, T.I., G-Unit
Url	http://swizzbeatzonline.com

Kasseem Daoud Dean (born August 30, 1978), better known by his stage name, Swizz Beatz, is an American record producer, DJ, and rapper. At the age of 17, he gained attention in the hip-hop world through his friendship with rapper DMX. Grady Spivey and rapper Cassidy helped launch his label Full Surface Records.

Early life

Kasseem Daoud Dean was born to an African American Muslim father and a Puerto Rican Christian mother. Dean didn't see much of his father, a postal worker, due to his parents being separated, and was raised by his mother. He was born and raised in the southwestern area of the New York City borough of The Bronx. It was there where he spent most of his childhood, first encountered Hip hop and began deejaying. He began deejaying after he got some equipment from his stepfather and his uncles. He later relocated to Atlanta as a teenager due to having too many fights at Harry S. Truman High School; there he started to work for his uncles, Joaquin and Darrin Dean, who were co-CEOs of the Ruff Ryders label. Forgoing the practice of using samples, he mostly used the Korg Trinity and Triton Keyboards and tried to accentuate the performance aspect of his music. The next five years would find him landing hit after hit and becoming more in demand with each production.

Career

1998-2002: Ruff Ryders and Full Surface

With his uncles (Chivon, Dee, and Waah Dean) involved with the Ruff Ryders label, he began to produce tracks at the age of 16. He sold his first beat at 17 which became DMX's hit single "Ruff Ryders' Anthem". In 2001 at the age of 23 he established his own record label, Full Surface, in a joint venture with Clive Davis of J Records. The first artist signed was Philadelphia-based rapper Cassidy. But it wasn't until Swizz's first compilation album, 2002's Swizz Beatz Presents G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories, that he started to get notices for his production style and interesting ideas and Cassidy began to get attention. He released two singles "Guilty" and "Bigger Business", both charted on the Hot R&B;/Hip-Hop Songs and were accompanied by music videos.

2003-2006: Super producer status and mainstream success

Swizz Beatz along with being associated with Ruff Ryders & Roc-A-Fella Records, began to produce for artists from labels such as Elektra Records, Atlantic Records, Epic Records, Def Jam Recordings, and Bad Boy Entertainment and his career largely grew from that point. Swizz Beatz produced hit songs for many elite rap, hip-hop soul and R&B; artists of that time, such as DMX ("Party Up (Up in Here)"), Beyoncé ("Check on It", "Ring the Alarm"), T.I. ("Bring 'Em Out"), Styles P ("Good Times"), Cassidy ("Hotel", "I'm a Hustla"), Busta Rhymes ("Touch It") and many more.

In 2003 he began to expand his label; Big Tigger, Keith Sweat, Bounty Killer and Yung Wun were all in talks to signing with Full Surface but in the end only Yung Wun was signed. Yung Wun, whom Swizz took under his wing and was executive producer of his album, The Dirtiest Thirstiest and co-produced the lead single "Tear It Up''.

In 2006 he became a partner involved in the popular clothing company Kidrobot, a creator and retailer of limited-edition art toys and apparel.

2007–present: One Man Band Man, new ventures and Haute Living

In February 2007, the producer mixed the music for design duo Heatherette's Fall 2007 New York Fashion Week runway show. On August 21, 2007, Swizz Beatz released his second solo album, titled One Man Band Man. The album sold 45,000 records in its first week and includes singles "It's Me Bitches" and "Money in the Bank".

In 2007 Swizz Beatz signed longtime friend Drag-On, legendary Cleveland-based rap group Bone Thugs-n-Harmony, and former Ruff Ryder member Eve to his label.

April 24, 2009 Swizz Beatz did a promo song for Hennessy Black, entitled "When I Step In The Club". A video was made and was directed by Hype Williams.

In 2009, Swizz Beatz produced many popular singles including "Nasty Girl" by Ludacris featuring Plies, "Who's Real" by Jadakiss featuring OJ da Juiceman, "Million Bucks" by Maino, "Million Dollar Bill" by Whitney Houston, "I Can Transform Ya" by Chris Brown featuring Lil Wayne and "On to the Next One" by Jay-Z .

Although in 2010 on his twitter Swizz Beatz renamed his album three times. He first announced he was calling it King Issues but later on that day settled on The Perception of Greatness, and on August 23 while in a studio session with Mary J. Blige in New York City, Swizz unveiled his new album title Haute Living, stating that it's the perfect phrase to represent what he's all about. The album will be released under his actual contract with Everest Entertainment/Atlantic/Warner, who signed the rapper in August 2010. Confirmed guest appearances include Lil Wayne, Jay-Z, Bono, Lenny Kravitz, Alicia Keys, Mary J. Blige and John Legend.

Swizz Beatz also was named the first "Producer in Residence" at New York University. This will last from the 2010-2011 academic year.

In 2010, inspired by Kanye West's G.O.O.D. Fridays series, Swizz Beatz launched his own series of free weekly mp3s titled Monster Monday. The first song, "DJ Play that Beat" featuring Estelle, was released on October 25. Other Monster Monday tracks include features from Rakim, Pusha T, DMX, Busta Rhymes and Pharrell.

On twitter in 2010, Swizz Beatz revealed his new sneaker line with Reebok.

Personal life

In 2004, he married R&B; singer Mashonda Tifrere, together they have two children, Prince Nasir Dean (born 2000), Kassem Dean Jr. (born 2007). In April 2008, they announced their plans to divorce after four years of marriage. Rumors have since surfaced online suggesting singer Alicia Keys was involved in the break-up, but Swizz has since then stated this is not true. In May 2009, Swizz Beatz admitted to having a relationship with Alicia Keys. He explained that he's kept their relationship under wraps because he didn't want to upset Mashonda and says that what he and Keys have is "so precious." Beatz' divorce from Mashonda was finalized on May 7, 2010.

In May 2008, singer and producer Jahna Sebastian gave birth to a daughter, Nicole, whom Swizz Beatz had fathered. In May 2010 Beatz confirmed he was engaged to singer Alicia Keys, and that Keys was pregnant with Beatz' fourth, and her first child. During the time of the 2010 FIFA World Cup, the couple took part of a union and had the unborn child blessed in a Zulu ceremony, which took place in the Illovo suburb of South Africa. Keys and Swizz Beatz held a wedding celebration on the French island of Corsica on July 31, 2010. Alicia Keys gave birth to their son, Egypt Daoud Ibarr Dean, on October 14, 2010.

Swizz Beatz not only collects paintings but also paints on his own free time. He donates the money he earns from his paintings to the Children's Cancer & Blood Foundation.

Awards and nominations

2009: Urban Music Awards Best Producer (won)

Grammy Awards

*2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "On to the Next One" [Nominated]

*2010, Best Rap Song "On to the Next One" [Nominated]

*2010, Best Rap Performance by a Duo or Group "Fancy" [Nominated]

Discography

; Studio Albums

One Man Band Man (2007)

Haute Living (TBA)

; Compilation Albums

G.H.E.T.T.O. Stories (2002)

Ryde or Die Vol. 1 (1999)

References

External links

Official website

Interview, HitQuarters Jun 02

Alicia Keys and Swizz Beatz Engaged? PopEater, January 27, 2010

Meet Alicia Keys' secret boyfriend, Swizz Beats NY Daily News, May 17, 2009

Category:1978 births Category:African American rappers Category:African American Muslims Category:American record producers Category:African American record producers Category:American hip hop record producers Category:American Muslims Category:Living people Category:People from the Bronx Category:Ruff Ryders artists Category:2000s rappers Category:2010s rappers